Born: February 12, 1663, Boston, Massachusetts.
Died: February 13, 1728, Boston, Massachusetts.
Buried: Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Boston, Massachusetts.
Cotton was the son of Increase Mather and Maria Cotton, and uncle of Mather Byles.
He was pastor at the Second Church of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1685 until his death. He was one of the best known leaders of colonial Massachusetts, and was elected to the Royal Society in 1713.